I remember Stephen Hunt was brilliant up until Xmas and some rumour that Everton were interested started and he threw his toys out the pram. And was never the same, even though SC had him in the office and called David Moyes to prove it was rubbish. Just one home win after New year and we would have gone up

One of my favourite away games in a season full of cracking away games. We filled the whole lower tier of the Rous Stand with a cracking, boisterous away following. There were definitely plenty of people on the pitch after the goals.

My hazy memory recalls that we came back twice to equalise, but not sure if that’s correct?

He wasn't the £800k star performer we signed him to be but I've always been mystified why Asaba was put on the outs list by Burns when he had proven pedigree in the third tier. It's an even more strange decision considering our options at the time were Fleck, McIntyre, Williams and Brayson

Wimb wrote:He wasn't the £800k star performer we signed him to be but I've always been mystified why Asaba was put on the outs list by Burns when he had proven pedigree in the third tier. It's an even more strange decision considering our options at the time were Fleck, McIntyre, Williams and Brayson

He had a very good spell at Sheffield United after leaving us didn't he?

Wimb wrote:He wasn't the £800k star performer we signed him to be but I've always been mystified why Asaba was put on the outs list by Burns when he had proven pedigree in the third tier. It's an even more strange decision considering our options at the time were Fleck, McIntyre, Williams and Brayson

He was quick, had a fair amount of skill and knew where the goal is. Couldn't head a ball to save his life though.

Wimb wrote:He wasn't the £800k star performer we signed him to be but I've always been mystified why Asaba was put on the outs list by Burns when he had proven pedigree in the third tier. It's an even more strange decision considering our options at the time were Fleck, McIntyre, Williams and Brayson

He had a very good spell at Sheffield United after leaving us didn't he?

Yep, he excelled at Brentford, Gillingham and Sheff Utd. I always liked him. i think the problem for us was the fee. He had the same strike rate as Lee Nogan (1 in 3) yet they're remembered very differently, mainly because Asaba cost more than three times as much, I'm guessing.

He scored the opener in Gillingham's epic play off final against Man Citeh. it's worth a look:

Old Man Andrews wrote:On this day in 1997 we drew 3-3 at home with Crewe. Carl Asaba on the scoresheet twice and an OG in our favour.

Carl Asaba is very underrated. I know he was inconsistent but I rate him.

The second being a header that he knew nothing about. Caskey swung the corner in and it just hit Asaba in the face then flew in. The thing I remember most about that match was the rain.....we were standing on the South Bank, by the corner of the Tilehurst End and for some reason I refused to go under the roof that covered most of the SB.

Wimb wrote:He wasn't the £800k star performer we signed him to be but I've always been mystified why Asaba was put on the outs list by Burns when he had proven pedigree in the third tier. It's an even more strange decision considering our options at the time were Fleck, McIntyre, Williams and Brayson

He had a very good spell at Sheffield United after leaving us didn't he?

Yep, he excelled at Brentford, Gillingham and Sheff Utd. I always liked him. i think the problem for us was the fee. He had the same strike rate as Lee Nogan (1 in 3) yet they're remembered very differently, mainly because Asaba cost more than three times as much, I'm guessing.

He scored the opener in Gillingham's epic play off final against Man Citeh. it's worth a look:

Yup tore it up at Gillingham. Scored 22 goals the season he left us including one against us at the Priestfield when our front line was apparently McLaren, McKeever and McIntyre

Funny, I look at the team from that day and see a lot of similarities in terms of the problems we have now. Individually just about every player there was decent (for that level at least) aside from maybe Glasgow (even Maybury went on to have a good career elsewhere), yet together they were mediocre and never really gelled. That squad also suffered from being overly large and having lots of transition in it.

Wimb wrote:He wasn't the £800k star performer we signed him to be but I've always been mystified why Asaba was put on the outs list by Burns when he had proven pedigree in the third tier. It's an even more strange decision considering our options at the time were Fleck, McIntyre, Williams and Brayson

He had a very good spell at Sheffield United after leaving us didn't he?

Yep, he excelled at Brentford, Gillingham and Sheff Utd. I always liked him. i think the problem for us was the fee. He had the same strike rate as Lee Nogan (1 in 3) yet they're remembered very differently, mainly because Asaba cost more than three times as much, I'm guessing.

He scored the opener in Gillingham's epic play off final against Man Citeh. it's worth a look:

I was at the game with a couple of City supporting mates. Proper old school Manchester City fans there that day, it was a fantastic atmosphere. Loads were streaming out after the second Gillingham goal and heard the roar after Horlock pulled one back, and most had made it back in by the time Dickov scored the second. By comparison, the red half were celebrating the treble in 99 but for City fans this was the real turning point of their club nearly 20 years ago now

Wimb wrote:He wasn't the £800k star performer we signed him to be but I've always been mystified why Asaba was put on the outs list by Burns when he had proven pedigree in the third tier. It's an even more strange decision considering our options at the time were Fleck, McIntyre, Williams and Brayson

This. Asaba also managed 13 goals in the team that was relegated and yet some fans slagged him off all the time for some peculiar reason. If he'd stayed Reading might have had the goals to mount a challenge.

stealthpapes wrote:Asaba was still playing for Sheffield United in 02-03, think he scored in the early kickoff* when we went to Portsmouth, they scored three and I ate a three quarter pounder burger outside the ground.

Yes. And I'd completely forgotten about the John Mackie incident which happened that season: